Improvement in railroad-ties



E. E. LEWIS.

RAILROAD TIES.

Patented Oct. 31. 1876.

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@mmww UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EBENEZER E. LEWIS, OF GENEVA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH OF HIS RIGHT TODAVID P. DEY, OF WATKINS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-TIES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 183,768, dated October31, 1876; application filed May 20, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EBENEZER E. LEWIS, ofGeneva,'in the county of Ontario and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Railroad-Ties, which improvement is fullyset forth in the following specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to construct a railroad-tie that will holdthe ordinary railroad-rails at their union, and may be used to supportany other portion of the rail, by making two projections on the uppersurface of the tie, and in each projection rail-seats for therailroad-rails of any kind preferred, making the outside of the seatsopen to receive the rail, and making a part to be placed within theopening, that may be held in place by a key, which, when in place, willhold the rail and tie firmly together, as shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section; Fig. 2, an end viewof the tie and side of a rail; and Fig. 3, an under-side view of thebrace.

A is the railroad-tie, which is made long enough to have rail-seats ineach end, to give the proper width of track and have the required lengthoutside of the rails. It is composed of a broad plate, on which therail-seats and projections are made, and on the under side of this plateare ribs, to give it vertical strength and prevent it from being drawnin the direction of the line of the road. On the top of the plate aretwo projections, which strengthen the tie. In each projection are placesfor receiving the rails. At the inside of the rails the projections fitthe shape of the 'rails from the flange upward as far as the projectionextends. The upper surface of the broad plate is made straight andlevel, so that the bottom of the rail will fit closely upon it itsentire width, and at each side of the bottom flange of the rail theprojections form notches, that will hold the rail from moving sidewise.At the outside of the place for the base of the rails the projectionsare cut away from near the lower edge in a circular form, as shown inFig. 1, so that the rail may be readily put into its place and the braceapplied and fastened. Near the end and near the upper edge of eachprojection is a hole for a key, which holds the brace firmly in itsplace.

B is the brace. It is applied to the outside of the rail to prevent itsbeing moved outward, and to hold it in place. The under side of thebrace is shaped to fit the top of the broad plate, the top of the flangeof the rail, and the circular spaces in the upper projections, by havingnotches corresponding with the circle in the projections, and the innerend is made to fit the outside of the rail as far as it extends up theside of the rail. The upper surface is curved from the rail downward,and extends outward under the key that holds it in Ifiace. This braceholds the rail in every direction of contact. The weight of the bracewill hold it in place; but, to keep it more secure, a pin or key is putthrough the holes in the projections over the outer end.

0 is the pin or key that is put through the holes in the upperprojections, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This key holds the outer end ofthe brace downward only, and when the end of the brace is held down theforce against the brace by the rails is resisted by the upperprojections, so that but little strength of key is required to hold thebrace.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The railroad-tie A, with its brace B and key 0, made and applied torailroad-rails, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

EBENEZEB. E. LEWIS.

Witnesses:

JOHN L. LEWIS, CHARLES KE'rcnUM.

